Graduate Program

Overview

Through the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program at UD, graduate students can obtain a PhD (and soon will be able to obtain a Master’s degree). The PhD program is built on a first year core curriculum with advanced curricula that are based on the research the student will perform for the thesis.Due to the interdisciplinary nature of Biomedical Engineering, faculty advisors for BME graduate students may have primary appointments in the BME departments, or in other departments and colleges at UD. PhD students will identify a Faculty Advisor from among these faculty who will be responsible for defining the student’s research responsibilities and for evaluating the student’s performance. The PhD degree will be administered by the BME Program and will be awarded by the College of Engineering.

This multi-disciplinary graduate program will build upon the established biomedical research strength at the University of Delaware, largely within the College of Engineering. It will offer academic rigor, as well as flexibility, to meet the needs and interests of students from different backgrounds and of their faculty advisors from different research areas.

Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Award Nominations

The Biomedical Engineering Graduate Committee is seeking nominations for the following student awards. Nominations may be self-submitted or submitted by a faculty member of behalf of the student.

Nominations should be emailed to the Graduate Director, Ryan Zurakowski, at ryanz@udel.edu by March 15, 2018.

Students who receive these awards will be honored at the departmental celebration on Honors Day on May 5, 2018.

A $50 prize will accompany each award.

See the award categories below

Graduate Student Seminar Series Best Presentation Award

This award recognizes the student who gave the best medical Engineering Graduate Student Seminar Series between April 1, 2017 and March 15, 2018. Nominations should include a copy of the presentation and a brief (1 paragraph) description of why the work is outstanding in the field.

Best Paper Award

This award will honor the best research paper published by a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering between April 1, 2017 and March 15, 2018. The work reported in the paper must have been performed at the University of Delaware. Nominations should include a copy of the paper and a brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the significance and innovation of the work that warrants its recognition as an outstanding contribution to the field of biomedical engineering. A $50 prize will be awarded to the first author. If the paper has two or more co-first authors, they will split a $100 prize equally

Best Doctoral Thesis Award

This award will be given to the student whose dissertation, defended between April 1, 2017 and March 15, 2018, is deemed to be the most meritorious. Nominations should include a copy of the thesis and a letter of support from the student’s thesis advisor that describes the significance and potential impact of the work that warrant its recognition as an outstanding contribution to the field of biomedical engineering.

Outstanding Graduate Student Service Award

This award will recognize a student who has made outstanding contributions to the Biomedical Engineering Department during the 2017-2018 academic year. Nominations should describe the departmental service activities performed by the student, and be accompanied by short statements of support from faculty, staff, or other students testifying to the impact that the service activities performed by the student have had on the department.

Outstanding Engineering Outreach Award

This award will recognize a student who has made outstanding contributions to raising public awareness of Biomedical Engineering and other STEM disciplines through community outreach efforts. Nominations should include a description of the outreach activities performed by the student, and should be accompanied by short statements of support from faculty, staff, or other students testifying to the impact of the outreach activities performed by the student.

Biomedical Engineering Rising Star Award

This award will recognize a first- through third-year graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering who has demonstrated outstanding performance in the early stages of their graduate career. Nominations should include a copy of the student’s CV, and a letter (or letters) of support from faculty or stuff testifying to the outstanding qualities of the student. The materials should emphasize achievements made by the student since matriculating at UD. The letter(s) should describe the student’s academic excellence, quality of character, overall leadership, and promise of future service to the field of biomedical engineering.

Biomedical Engineering Distinguished Graduate Scholar Award

This award will recognize a Biomedical Engineering graduate student in the fourth year or above who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship and leadership throughout their graduate career at the University of Delaware. Nominations should include a copy of the student’s CV, and a letter (or letters) of support from faculty members testifying to the outstanding qualities of the student. The letter(s) should including a description of the student’s academic excellence, moral force of character, overall leadership, and promise of future service to the field of biomedical engineering.

Deadlines (Fall 2018 deadline extended to January 19th)

Admission decisions are made by the BME Graduate Committee. Application deadline is December 20th for the fall semester. However, since applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, students are advised to apply early. Decisions on whether to accept offers of admission must be made by April 15 for matriculation in the fall semester.

Aid

Financial assistance is awarded on a competitive basis to the pool of admitted applicants. The University of Delaware’s policies apply to all forms of financial aid. Please refer to the University Policies for Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships.

The majority of students in the BME program will be supported on research contracts and grants obtained by their Faculty Advisors. Students on projects without external funding will be provided support (assuming that their progress is satisfactory) through the use of either other program funds or by appointment as a teaching assistant. No student will be supported by departmental funds for more than 2 semesters; funds beyond such a commitment must be provided by the Faculty Advisor or by appointment as a teaching assistant. In general, funding is not guaranteed beyond five years.

Students in the Biomedical Engineering program may be provided Graduate Assistantships:

Research Assistants (RAs) are generally funded by research grants and contracts provided by external funding agencies. Students should be supported as an RA through their Faculty Advisor’s research funds once they are matched (beginning in November 1 of the student’s matriculating year). RAships provide full tuition and a stipend.

Teaching Assistants (TAs) are offered for graduate students to perform teaching and other instructional activities. Note that this is different from the Teaching Aid Requirement in the PhD program. The amount of service may vary from week to week but the average is usually expected to be 20 hours per week. A TAship provides full tuition and a stipend. In accordance with University of Delaware regulations, TAs must fulfill the requirements detailed in the Teaching Aid Requirement section.

On the Rise

Our graduate program has had an outstanding year, ranking 54th in US News and World Report’s graduate program rankings.

We graduated our first student from the PhD program. Our current students continue to win many fellowships and awards. This includes the prestigious 2016 George W. Laird Merit Fellowship, making 3 out of the last 4 Laird fellows a BME student!

The Biomedical Engineering (BME) program offers a PhD degree program and plans to offer a Master of Science program.

Requirements

Admission to the graduate program is competitive. Those who meet stated requirements are not guaranteed admission, and those who fail to meet all of those requirements are not necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

Applicants to the PhD program in BME should meet the following requirements:

A bachelor’s degree or higher in engineering, physical, or biological sciences from an accredited 4-year college or university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.

Engineering, science, and math courses from the following list, while not required for admission, are highly recommended: Calculus, Differential Equations, Calculus-based Physics, Biology, Physiology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Signal Processing, Statics and Dynamics, Probability and Statistics, and Computer Programming. It is understood that very few applicants will have completed all of these courses, but all provide a foundation that will help with the required courses in the Biomedical Engineering graduate program.

Competitive GRE scores of 700 for Quantitative and 1200 or higher for Quantitative + Verbal. With the new GRE scoring system, this corresponds to a score of 155 for Quantitative and 308 or higher for Quantitative + Verbal.

For international applicants, a TOEFL exam taken within the last 2 years with a minimum score of 223 for the computer-based test and of 84 for the iBT with a 20 for the iBT speaking component.

Three letters of recommendation from individuals acquainted with the student and his/her academic work or from employers or others who have had a supervisory relationship with the applicant and are able to assess the applicant’s potential for success in graduate studies.

A personal statement (1 page) that indicates:

the reason for his/her interest in graduate study

a discussion of previous research experience

his/her area of interest and a list of faculty whose research area is of interest

his/her career objectives

We encourage candidates with research experience (undergraduate as well as industrial), as well as those with practical industrial experience after the baccalaureate degree to apply.

PhD Program

The PhD program in Biomedical Engineering consists of 39 credits of graduate level course work including at least 9 credits of Doctoral Dissertation. The program allows for considerable flexibility in course selection. The PhD program also requires completion of a Teaching Aid requirement, the Qualifying Exam, the Candidacy Defense and the Doctoral Dissertation.

PhD students are required to take 5 core courses and a minimum of 4 technical electives. The table below lists the course requirements for a PhD degree in BME.

PhD requirements in Biomedical Engineering: 39 credits total

5 Core courses

15 credits

Principles of Biomedical Engineering (2 courses)

6 credits

Advanced Math

3 credits

Statistics

3 credits

Communication and Ethics

3 credits

4 Elective courses (Minimum)

12 credits

Research

3 credits minimum

Dissertation

9 credits minimum

Seminar series (3 semesters)

0 credits

Students will be matched to a Faculty Advisor from a list of BME-affiliated faculty members participating in the degree program. For the first 2 months following fall matriculation, the student will be advised by the BME Graduate Director (unless a direct match to an advisor is made during the admission process). The student will be responsible for identifying potential faculty advisors by meeting with faculty in early September, attending faculty presentations in BMEG 801 (seminar series), and attending research group meetings. By Oct 15th students must submit a ranked list that contains at least 3 potential advisors. Advisors also submit a ranked list of students (blind to student ranking). The BME Graduate Director will match the student to a Faculty Advisor before the end of October.

The Faculty Advisor will be the primary contact of the student for questions and advice on his/her thesis research throughout the remainder of the program. The student will develop a plan of study for the program with the Faculty Advisor by the end of the second semester of their first year. Any changes to a student’s program of study must be approved by the Faculty Advisor and the BME Graduate Director.

Develop a fundamental knowledge of Biomedical Engineering with a multi-scale approach. Fundamental concepts of tissue and organ physiology, applies quantitative engineering analysis at this length scale, and teaches students to think critically about the organ function, such as musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and nervous systems. PREREQ: General Physiology (e.g., BISC 306)

MATH 616 Modeling in Applied Mathematics (3)
Introduction to modeling and analytical techniques used in solving problems arising in a variety of physical settings. Biological modeling. Derivation of the equations of mathematical physics. Solution behavior of nonlinear systems of ODE’s. Use of software to explore solutions to physical systems. PREREQ: One semester of advanced calculus

Statistics (3 credits) – Choose 1

BISC 643 Biological data analysis (3)
Single-Semester introduction to the numerical analysis of biological data in fields such as molecular and cellular biology. Emphasis on choosing and using the correct analysis method for each experiment by using small number of relatively simple statistical tests.

STAT 608 Statistical Research Methods (3)
An introductory statistics course for advanced undergraduate and graduate students with applications for life sciences, business, health, engineering, and the social sciences. The course managing and describing data; the normal, t, F and chi squared distributions; the logic of inference; inferential statistics for one and two sample problems; analysis of table data; analysis of variance; and multiple regression. The course is taught using statistical software.

Communication and Ethics (3 credits)

BMEG 801: Communication in Biomedical Engineering (3)
Communication methods for professional development such as written and oral presentations. Writing proposals, journal papers, and dissertations. Oral presentation of research, proposals, and informal presentations Selecting a research topic, reviewing literature, generating hypotheses, writing study designs.

Technical Electives (12 credits)

Technical Electives can be chosen from courses offered across departments.

BISC 602 – Molecular Biology of Animal Cells

BISC 612 – Advanced Cell Biology

BISC 625 – Cancer Biology

BISC 627 – Advanced Neurophysiology

BISC 639 – Developmental Neurobiology

BISC 671 – Cellular and Molecular Immunology

BISC 675 – Cardiovascular Physiology

BMEG 610 – Tissue Biomechanics & Modeling

BMEG 662 – Engineering Biomedical Nanostructures

BMEG 665 – Tissue Biomechanics and Modeling

BMEG 679 – Introduction to medical Imaging Systems

BMEG 695 – Computational Systems Biology

CHEG 620 – Biochemical Engineering

CHEG 621 – Metabolic Engineering

CHEG/CHEM 649 – Molecular Biophysics

CHEG 650 – Biomedical Engineering

CHEG 801 – Process Control and Dynamics

CHEG 825 – Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics

CHEG 827 – Chemical Engineering Problems

CHEG 828 – Statistical Thermodynamics

CHEG 842 – Selected Topics in Biochemical Engineering

CHEG 845 – Advanced Transport Phenomena

CHEM 641 – Biochemistry

CHEM 642 – Biochemistry

CHEM 643 – Intermediary Metabolism

CHEM 645 – Protein Structure and Function

CHEM 646 – DNA-Protein Interactions

CHEM 647 – Biochemical Evolution

CHEM 648 – Membrane Biochemistry

CISC 642 – Intro to Computer Vision

CISC 681 – Artificial Intelligence

CISC/BINF 689 – Topics: Artificial Intelligence

CISC/BINF 849 – Advanced Topics in Computer Applications

CISC 852 – computer Network Performance

CISC 887 – Internet Information Gathering

ELEG 630 – Information Theory

ELEG 631 – Digital Signal Processing

ELEG 636 – Statistical Signal Processing

ELEG 671 – Mathematical Physiology

ELEG 675 – Image Processing with Biomedical Applications

ELEG 679 – Intro to Medical Imaging Systems

ELEG 680 – Immunology for Engineers

ELEG 801 – Advanced Topics in Biomedical Engineering

MATH 529 – Fundamentals of Optimization

MATH 611 – Introduction to Numerical Discretization

MATH 617 – Introductions to Applied Mathematics II

MATH 630 – Probability Theory and Applications

MATH 660 – Intro to Systems Biology

MEEG 612 – Biomechanics of Human Movement

MEEG 624 – Control of Dynamic Systems

MEEG 682 – Clinical Biomechanics

MEEG 683 – Orthopedic Biomechanics

MEEG 684 – Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

MEEG 685 – Control of Human Movement

MEEG 686 – Cell and Tissue Transport

MEEG 862 – Advanced Engineering Analysis

MSEG/CHEG 601 – Structure and Properties of Polymer Materials

MSEG 625 – Entrepreneurship and Risk: Meeting the Challenges

MSEG 630/CHEG 600 – Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering

MSEG 633/833 – Polymer Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory

MSEG 635/835 – Principles of Polymer Physics

MSEG 660 – Biomaterials and Tissue engineering

MSEG 803 – Equilibria in Materials Systems

MSEG 804 – Kinetics in Materials Systems

MSEG 817 – Composite Materials

MSEG/CHEG 823 – TEM in Materials Science

MSEG 832 – Principles of Polymerization

STAT 609 – Regression and Experimental Design

Courses not on the above Elective list can be substituted with permission of the Faculty Advisor and the BME Graduate Director. This list will be updated and provided on the program website annually.

BME may waive the requirement for up to 18 credit hours of course work for students entering with a Master’s Degree or credits for graduate course work performed at another recognized graduate school. Waivers will only be granted for courses that cover subjects eligible for credit toward a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Delaware. Requests for a course waiver must be initiated by the student before the beginning of their third semester at UD. Waivers must be approved by the Faculty Advisor and the BME Graduate Director and will be contingent on the student’s demonstration of satisfactory performance in course work taken at UD.

Seminar Series

Biomedical engineering is an emerging and rapidly expanding field where engineering and biological disciplines converge. To keep up to date with the wide variety of research encompassed by this field, students are required to take 3 semesters of the seminar series BMEG 890.

Teaching Aid Requirement

The ability to communicate ideas, concepts, and factual information is an essential skill for all PhD graduates, even those who have no interest in an academic position. In recognition of this, all PhD students are required to fulfill a Teaching Aid Requirement for 1 semester that consists of serving as a Teaching Aid. Note that this is different from the Teaching Assistantships offered as financial aid. While fulfilling this Teaching Aid Requirement, students are expected to continue being actively involved in their research.

The responsibilities of the Teaching Aid Requirement will be defined by the course instructor and should not exceed approximately 10 hours per week. In general, the PhD student should not merely be assigned grading responsibilities. He/she should have an opportunity to plan and deliver lectures, lead discussion sections and lead laboratory exercises. Direct interaction with course students is highly encouraged.

The University requires that all first time Teaching Aids take a 2-day TA teaching conference offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning. International students must also enroll in the winter session of the ELIITA (English Language Institute International Teaching Assistant) program before performing their teaching requirement.

Although the exact timing of these appointments is flexible, it is highly desirable to complete all teaching responsibilities during the 2nd year, although they can be extended to the 3rd year. The BME Graduate Committee assigns these positions in November (for the upcoming spring semester) and in May (for the following fall). Students are encouraged to submit their preferences for specific positions early to facilitate the process. Although every effort will be made to satisfy these requests, students should recognize that this is not always possible.

Qualifying Exam

The Qualifying Exam must be taken in the summer after the first year (and after completion of at least 5 approved courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better). For students with non-fall matriculation or part-time study, the timing of this exam will be set based on course completion and approval by the Graduate Director.

This exam includes a written proposal and an oral presentation of the proposal. The student will have 2 weeks to prepare a 6-page maximum research proposal (on a topic suggested by the advisor) that 1) identifies a research question, 2) formulates testable hypotheses and aims, and 3) describes a study design that addresses these aims. **Note: This proposal is NOT the student’s thesis proposal, although the advisor can select an area within the likely general topic of the eventual thesis. The student will give a 15 min oral presentation to and will be questioned by a small committee of 3 BME faculty members chosen by the BME Graduate Committee. The student will be evaluated on his/her bioscience knowledge, engineering knowledge, written proposal, presentation, and quality of the Q&A. The outcome will be Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail. With a Conditional Pass, the student must address the specific concerns within a period designated by the committee that cannot be more than 1 year (e.g., take certain courses, revise the proposal in a specific manner). If the Conditional Pass terms are not met or if the student Fails, he/she will be dis-enrolled from the PhD program.

Dissertation Committee

As soon as possible, but no more than 1 year after passing the Qualifying Exam, the student must establish a Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee is selected by the Faculty Advisor and the student, and must have a minimum of 4 members including the advisor and at least 3 additional faculty. 3 members must have an appointment in BME (Primary, Joint, or Affiliated), at least one member must hold a Primary or Voting Joint appointment in BME, and 1 must be from outside the primary research area of the dissertation topic. 3 members must be from the University of Delaware. The student must submit a 1-2 page research plan approved by the committee to the graduate director. The research plan should contain a brief description of the student’s proposed research area including major questions to be addressed, a brief summary of research accomplishments so far, one paragraph justifying the committee composition, and a preliminary timeline for the completion of the degree. The Graduate Director must approve the committee, chair, and research plan, and any subsequent changes in committee members.

Sustaining Status

Once a student has completed all coursework required for the BME PhD degree, completed the Teaching Aid requirement, passed the Qualifying Exam, and established a Dissertation Committee, they will be considered a PhD Candidate eligible for sustaining status by the BME department. Once all these requirements are met, the student must submit a Candidacy Form to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education.

Dissertation Proposal

The Dissertation Proposal requires a written proposal outlining the plan of research for the PhD and an oral presentation and defense of this proposal to the Dissertation Committee. The written proposal will follow a NIH R01 format, with a page limit of 15 pages. A curriculum vita, Progress Report Form, and a graduate-level transcript should also be included. All materials should be distributed to the Dissertation Committee at least 2 weeks before the oral proposal. The defense will include a 30 min presentation by the student, followed by a 60 min Q&A discussion. The student must complete the Dissertation Proposal within 2 years of the Qualifying Exam or must petition the Graduate Director for an extension.

Completing the PhD

To complete the PhD, students must pass a Dissertation Exam. This exam involves approval of the written dissertation and an oral defense of the dissertation. The written dissertation must be submitted to his/her Dissertation Committee at least 2 weeks before the defense. The oral presentation will be open to the public and will last ~45 min. After questions from the public not to exceed 15 minutes, a closed Q&A session with the Dissertation Committee of 30-60 minutes will follow. The student will be responsible for making corrections to the dissertation document and for meeting all Graduate School deadlines for submission. Student must complete the Dissertation Exam within 5 years of the Qualifying Exam (6 years after matriculation) or must petition the Graduate Director for an extension.